What Is Diabetes? | Diabetes And Its Types
Sit down. Take a deep breath. Whether you just got diagnosed, your mom/dad/spouse got a fasting sugar of 180, or you’re just scared because it runs in the family – this is the only explanation you’ll ever need.
The Super Simple Truth
Diabetes is NOT a “sugar disease.” It’s a disease of insulin – the hormone that acts like a key that opens the door of your cells so glucose (blood sugar) can go inside and give you energy.
When that key stops working properly, sugar stays stuck in the blood. High sugar in the blood for years quietly destroys eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart, and feet. That’s diabetes in one paragraph.
Now let’s break it down like we’re drawing on a napkin.
Type 1 Diabetes – The Body Attacks Itself (5–10 % of cases)
Your immune system (which is supposed to kill germs) gets confused and kills the insulin-making cells in your pancreas. Result: almost zero insulin produced. Usually starts in childhood or teenage years (but can hit adults too). You will need injected insulin every single day for the rest of your life. Not caused by eating sweets or being fat. It’s an autoimmune disease. Think of it as the pancreas factory got bombed and can never reopen.
Type 2 Diabetes – The Most Common One (90 % of cases)
The pancreas still makes insulin, but two things go wrong:
- Your cells become “resistant” – the key still works but the lock is rusty.
- Over time the pancreas gets tired and starts making less insulin.
Usually starts after 35–40, but now hitting people in 20s because of weight and junk food. Caused by:
- Extra weight (especially belly fat)
- Eating too many refined carbs/sugary drinks
- No exercise
- Family history
- Stress and bad sleep
Think of it as the pancreas factory is still running, but the workers are exhausted and the keys are bent.
Gestational Diabetes – The Pregnancy One
Happens only during pregnancy (usually 2nd or 3rd trimester). Pregnancy hormones make the body insulin-resistant. Most women’s pancreas can handle it, but some can’t → sugar rises. Usually goes away after delivery, but those women have 50–70 % chance of Type 2 later in life.
Prediabetes – The Warning Light
Fasting sugar 100–125 mg/dL or HbA1c 5.7–6.4 %. Your body is shouting “Fix this now or you’re getting full diabetes in 3–10 years!” Good news: 80–90 % of prediabetes can be reversed with food + exercise. Bad news: most people ignore it until it becomes Type 2.
LADA (Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults) – The Sneaky Hybrid
Looks like Type 2 at first (adult onset, not super overweight). But it’s actually slow-motion Type 1 – immune system slowly killing insulin cells. Eventually needs insulin injections.
Secondary Diabetes
Caused by other diseases:
- Chronic pancreatitis
- Steroid medicines
- Cushing’s syndrome
- Hemochromatosis (iron overload)
The Numbers That Actually Matter (Memorize These)
Normal
- Fasting: <100 mg/dL
- HbA1c: <5.7 %
Prediabetes
- Fasting: 100–125
- HbA1c: 5.7–6.4 %
Diabetes
- Fasting: ≥126 (confirmed twice)
- Random sugar: ≥200 + symptoms
- HbA1c: ≥6.5 %
What High Blood Sugar Symptoms (The Body Screaming for Help)
- Peeing 20 times a day (especially waking up at night)
- Drinking water like a camel but still thirsty
- Losing weight without trying (especially Type 1)
- Blurry vision that comes and goes
- Cuts that take forever to heal
- Tingling/numbness in hands and feet
- Always tired, always hungry
- Yeast infections that keep coming back (women)
Low Blood Sugar Symptoms (Hypoglycemia – Very Dangerous)
- Shaking, sweating, heart racing
- Confusion, irritability (“hangry” on steroids)
- Seizures or passing out if it drops too low
Long-Term Complications (This Is What Actually Kills)
- Heart attack & stroke (2–4× higher risk)
- Kidney failure (leading cause of dialysis)
- Blindness (diabetic retinopathy)
- Amputations (poor blood flow + nerve damage)
- Nerve pain that feels like burning electricity
- Erectile dysfunction (70 % of men with long-term diabetes)
The Good News Nobody Tells You
- Type 2 can be reversed or put into remission in many cases (HbA1c back under 6.5 without medicines).
- Type 1 can be managed so well that people live completely normal lives (look at pro athletes with Type 1).
- Complications are NOT inevitable if you control sugar.
My Family’s Real Numbers After Diagnosis
Uncle (Type 2, 58): 2019: HbA1c 11.2 % → 2024 HbA1c 5.4 % (no meds, just food + walking)
Cousin (Type 1, diagnosed at 14): Now 28, married, works 9–5 job, plays cricket on weekends, HbA1c 6.2 % with insulin pump.
Diabetes is serious. But it’s not a death sentence. It’s a wake-up call from your body saying: “Start taking care of me, or I’m going to start breaking.”
You still have time. Today is the best day to start. One meal, one walk, one choice at a time. You’ve got this.